Just a Plain Ol' White Apron, Thank You.

By Bro. Michael S. McKlusky
Robert M Sirkle Lodge #954 F&AM Lexington, Kentucky USA

My recent experience on the UK-mason list has been a real eye-opening experience for me.  I expected the forms and ceremonies to differ.  I've known for some time that our dueguards and penal signs differed but I was actually surprised to see the social strata present within the lodges themselves.

A helpful brother took the time to break down the system and explain what has become over time a very complex and intricate structure of ranks and honors found within the UK lodges and the associated provincial governing bodies.  I still have his note, but no doubt I'm going to end up stepping on a lot of sensitive toes!

In return I thought perhaps a glimpse of what I experience in Lexington, Kentucky may be just as enlightening to my UK brethren.

Here EA, FC, and MM wear the same white aprons.  EA and FC wear theirs in a distinctive way however to emulate their status as bearers of burden or the FC's responsibilities in King Solomon's temple.

EA and FC don't however sit in regular lodge meetings.  Our lodges meet on the MM degree to perform business.

In my lodge, when a candidate is initiated as an EA he goes through the ceremony and then takes six weeks to learn the proficiencies taught solely mouth to ear. This is basically a recapitulation of the entire degree and consists of a list of questions and answers as long as your arm, the obligation in full, steps, passwords, grips, dueguards, and penal signs in the same manor as demonstrated by the WM and SD during the ceremony and takes about 20 minutes to perform correctly.

Upon returning a satisfactory proficiency in front of the entire lodge we then open on the FC degree and perform the ceremony to pass him to the degree of FC.  Then it's back to the classroom for one lunar month to learn the next proficiency and the process is repeated for the MM degree.

Once a MM he is then privy to lodge business and joins the rest of us but until he returns proficiency as a MM in open lodge he isn't eligible to sit in the elected chairs.

Upon receiving his MM he is given by the lodge a monitor, a Masonic Bible and a real lambskin or white leather apron which has under the flap the dates of his initiation, passing and raising.  Nobody ever wears it though! Social convention has it that it is kept in pristine condition and accompanies him to the grave.  That's not to say that he isn't permitted to wear it, he can do whatever he likes with it.  But for our regular meetings we have plain white aprons available at the door under the log book.

Fro the craft, the dress code is come as you are.  Obviously those who have the time and means to dress nicely do so but there are many who come in after work dressed as they do at work.   So you will find the lawyer sitting next to the plumber and the doctor next to the barber and no matter how they are attired the simple white apron is the great qualizer.  There is no other regalia, no gloves, no hats no nothing, however MM are permitted to wear rings and pins that display Masonic symbols of any other order they happen to be a member.  I have a collection of pins on my sports coat that show my membership in the Scottish Rite and the Shrine and on special occasions I wear my grandfathers Masonic ring (ours has a G in the compass and square.)

The officers are required to wear dark blue jackets and ties.  There IS regalia associated with their offices but that regalia stays on the chair. It is property of the Lodge and it symbolizes the OFFICE.  So if the elected SW is sick in bed the WM can ask any experienced MM to sit in the chair for the evening.  We also have special funerary regalia, also property of the lodge.

After sitting in the East for a year a retiring master gets his picture on the wall, the gavel used while in office and a PM apron.  Certainly a PM apron isn't out of place in the lodge in the slightest but only a few decide to wear it.  Especially the Junior PM who gets razzed enough, being called "Junior" by the craft and PMs alike.  For most of them it's a relief to leave the regalia behind and go back to the plain white aprons and sit with everyone else.  Yet, at the opening of the lodge one of the first orders of business is to have the PMs of ours or any other lodge stand and be recognized.  Numbers are counted and added to the minutes of the meeting.

When we join up to visit another lodge, we expect to wear that lodge's plain white aprons and although we are acknowledged as visitors and PMs there isn't any fuss about it.  EXCEPT when the lodge in question is in possession of The Traveling Gavel.  In which case the WM is expected to make mention of the fact that he has brought with him enough brothers to obtain said gavel and bring it back to his home lodge at which point the WM of the lodge in question has to at some time that evening "reluctantly" hand over the gavel (It's a gavel the size of a sledge hammer.)  This is all done in good fun and purely for bragging rights and to encourage brothers to visit other lodges.  Sometimes there are even two visiting WMs with a cadre of brothers come to stake a claim to the gavel and we have to count off members to see who brought the most.

Now here is a striking difference.  Our lodge meets TWICE A MONTH and is dark only a few times a year. This keeps the Master, Wardens, Secretary and any PMs showing up very busy.

Because we meet so often, degree work is scheduled throughout the year as needed. Each of the principal offices JS SS JD SD JW SW have different roles assigned to them in the degree work.  If one were to go through the chairs as we call it in proper order by the time you reach the Master's station in the East you know all the places and stations.  Each term lasts one year. Sometimes less if someone moves or changes jobs.

So here we have a typical meeting 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month at 6:30pm a prayer is offered (grace) and a bunch of brothers gather for a buffet dinner prepared by the stewards and some volunteers.  The fare is simple as stewards vary in their abilities.  You don't always know what you are going to get, but for four dollars (or whatever you can afford, free if you have no money, ((nobody watches who puts what in the kitty)) you get something that can range from sublime to "eatable."    There are no formal toasts although I'm sure someone could stand up and make one if so inclined. There is NO alcohol present in a Blue Lodge.  Before each meeting we enjoy an hour of fellowship, catching up, making connections (anyone know a brother plumber or mechanic?) and then at 7:30 it's off to lodge.

All EAs and FCs are welcome and encouraged to meet before the meetings and enjoy the fellowship and food (such as it is.)  When I teach the proficiencies I make sure that I schedule a practice on lodge nights to get the new guys into the habit of showing up to lodge and have them feel part of the group.  But we meet on the MM degree so they are not privy to lodge business.

Opening and closing the lodge is a no-brainer, it's printed in the monitor and you learn your part on your own or suffer some good hearted hazing by whoever happens to be sitting next to the chair.  The degree work however requires practice and it is left to the man charged with sitting in the East to decide how many practices are needed to get the job done right.

I'm not a PM.  I unfortunately had to resign my position as SW a few years ago but as an instructor I know the proficiencies and I'm fairly handy at the EA degree.  This year, the incoming WM needed desperately to schedule an EA degree in January. So in mid December, after the meeting where we elected officers for 2008 the WM elect asked if I would take care of that for him.

I agreed and after wrangling holidays etc we scheduled two practices.  I'm not very concerned about the small number of scheduled practices because the principal payers in the group assembled have done it many times before and the new guys will fall into step behind the leaders.  On that evening I will dress in the dark blue required of the office, and wear a simple white apron during the regular lodge meeting opened on the MM degree and presided over by the WM.  We will go to refreshment and he and I will exchange WM regalia and apron for plain white apron and he will sit among the craft.

I will wear my own hat thank you very much and before opening the EA degree, comment on the fact that the Lodge may need some new aprons because the WM apron fits so loose that I had to adjust it.  I will then open the EA degree with the usual ceremonies, perform the initiation, obligation, working tools etc and introduce the Sittng Master.  Our expert SD standing will do the recap and charge and then I'll close the degree.  Then it's up to the WM to decide if he wants to close the MM degree himself or have me bring the MM lodge from refreshment to work and close the degree formally.  (In peace and harmony.)

I'll do the same again later this year because something is bound to come up.  Mind you I'm not the only one capable of performing the degree; I'm just the go-to guy in a pinch.  There are other go-to guys.  As casual as all this appears to be we take Masonry and our degree work pretty seriously.

The EA degree requires a great deal of memory work and early in the year with officers changing stations and newly raised brothers joining the crew it makes it rather difficult to pull it off as it should be done.  As I mentioned before, our lodge meets twice a month, the incoming officers are busy enough with the jobs they have and the SD (who is responsible for sitting in the East and presiding over the EA degree) rarely has time to memorize the work by the first EA degree of the year.  He deserves a chance to see it done.  Not to mention that it's important that the CANDIDATES are assured a memorable initiation.

Our lodge would not function without cooperation.

There are times when the lodges will combine groups of initiates.  I have initiated EAs for other lodges along with our own and brought my classes of EAs learning proficiencies to other lodges to observe their ceremonies.  We also will bring lodges together to raise men to the sublime degree of MM. There is a group of traveling players that will put on what we call "the long form" of the degree (don't worry, no spoiler here.)  And once a year we meet at an old farm where a stately home once stood and its portico still stands today.  Lodges from all over gather and there is a great BBQ and what we in Kentucky call "An outdoor rasin'"   Ever ride a goat?  Nevermind.

This is why I find it surprising to discover the layers of rank and social status.   Because my experience of Masonry centers around meeting on the level with a group of men you can trust with you wallet, count on if your car breaks down or your plumbing explodes and who's word is their bond. Where ceremony, mutual respect and respect for the ancient origins of our craft is evident but charity and golf tournaments are the important business at hand.  (Sirkle Lodge will give away 4000 dollars in collage scholarships as the result of last year's efforts and expect to offer 6000 this year in addition to supporting our Masonic charities and the Grand Lodge and the Masonic Homes and Hospice Care and flowers for widows.  We will also no doubt put on several funerary services and visit other lodges.)

Like in most institutions, including the one where I work, it seems 90% of the work is done by 10% of the people we have our share of folks with nothing better to do than niggle.  It's certainly not ideal.   But I am proud to put on a plain ol' white apron and welcome the dose of self confidence and humility that comes with it.

S&F

Bro Michael S. McKlusky
Robert M Sirkle Lodge #954 F&AM
Lexington, Kentucky
USA